New Girl: Redux
by Taylor Moore
Summary: Blanche, a traveller, has just appeared in Santa Carla, and already she is confronted by the city's dark side. She has one problem: Where is she going to stay? A remake of an old fic. Prequel
1. Chapter 1

**Story Start**

Blanche felt the pitter-patter of rain on her hood finally begin to wane as she approached the city of Santa Carla. She looked around the unfamiliar town with a sense of childish delight, drinking in the friendly atmosphere of the people in the streets with glee. A smiled played on her lips. The people around her were laughing and enjoying themselves, and she felt all the better for it. She avoided the crowd heading for the boardwalk - inviting as the atmosphere was at that moment, the mass of people on the boardwalk filled her with anxiety. Instead, she wandered across the streets to the beach.

Travelling on no particular route, she soon found herself at a large group of trees at the top of a hill. Blanche lowered her hood, pulling her threadbare jacket closer to her body, bringing her already crossed arms tighter around her waist, trying to ease off her shivering - she was still wet through from the rain, and had yet to warm up. Something caught the corner of her eye, drawing her attention to the beach below.

A fight was breaking out, bonfires lighting the scene as if it were a mere movie set. With a gasp, Blanche hid behind the trunk of one of the trees, watching the bloody brawl with a fearful interest.

Men thrashed and struggled under the vice-like grip of their opponents. Sharp canines ripped through veins and tore already scarred skin, mouths lapped up still warm blood that spurted from arteries and veins. Fresh blood stained the sand at the winning gang's feet as the bodies of their late enemies grew limp and lifeless.

'Oh dear God.' Blanche whispered with a repulsed awe.

Bodies now charred in bonfires nearby. Four twisted faces shimmered as embers rose around them. The group walked away, staggering slightly, tipsy with blood. Looking up in euphoria, the shortest of the four made eye contact with Blanche. She shrank back, eyes wide open. He did a double take and walked over, a gruesome mask of rage on his face.

She had been discovered. She had no choice - she had to run. She didn't dare look back as she raced off, clutching the straps of her backpack as she went.

'Hey!' The vampire snarled, 'Get back here!'

She sprinted through alleys chosen at random, avoiding the larger crowds of rowdy, now drunken, teenagers. She could hardly breathe and her feet were beginning to ache, but she couldn't stop. The vampire was not too far away, only a couple of metres behind her, and if she stopped at all, she would no doubt be killed. To get away, she would have to join a crowd. And not just one of those small ones around a lamppost or beside a house. No, she would need a much larger crowd to make an escape possible.

'I'm going to regret this.' She thought,

She ran onto the boardwalk, making sure to run through the larger throngs of the area. She heard the vampire shout from a distance, his voice faint but still very threatening.

'If I catch you around here again, you're dead!' He barked.

She looked around. No sign of the vampire. She'd lost him.

'Thank god.' She whispered, trying to catch her breath, chest rising and falling at a rapid pace as she re-payed some severe oxygen debt.

The light surrounding her was warm and comforting, if not a little garish. Her heart beat was beginning to slow down as she wandered aimlessly. Her surroundings were nice, but by the time everything closed down, Blanche would most likely be in danger; she had no friends here, and thus she had nowhere to go. That and the vampire sounded serious. Dead serious.

Soon Blanche heard music playing softly nearby. She looked around, trying to pinpoint the location of the sound. Someone was still open! Not that they would let her inside; she looked so scruffy, and the rain had made her look even worse than a few moments ago. The heavy breathing didn't help either. She followed the music the way a puppy follows it's master, excitement bubbling inside her as the melody got louder. She found herself in front of a small comic book store. The door was locked, the sign had been turned to 'Closed' and there was no light to speak of coming from inside. It looked as though no-one was home.

The music suddenly got quieter. Someone was definitely inside.

Taking a chance and a deep breath, she knocked on the door, terror and fatigue still making her shake. There was no response from the people in the store other than a light switching on. If only they would open the blind...

Blanche knocked on the door again, her confidence building. A shadowy figure approached the door, which clicked and opened.

Blanche was met by a young boy, about her age, with dark eyes, and a red sash underneath his shaggy brown hair. He scowled disapprovingly, eyeing her up and down.

'We're closed.' He said gruffly, about to slam the door. Blanche put her foot in the way, and in a final act of desperation she blurted her story, rapidly at first, but soon calming down and talking at a reasonably slower pace.

'I know, but please, just listen to me. I was chased by this guy, and he's got it out for me, and I know it sounds crazy but I think he was a vampire,' - Here the boy raised his eyebrows - 'And I know you're probably really busy and everything but I really need a place to stay, just for one night. If it's not too much trouble. Please.'

The boy looked down for a minute, thinking. He was now leaning in the doorway, blocking the path inside with his arms crossed. Blanche took her foot away from the door and got ready to walk away, disappointed with his reaction. As she turned around, he shook his head with a sigh.

'Alan's not going to like this.' He muttered to himself, swinging the door open and walking into the hall without another word.

Blanche stood on the doorstep, staring at him in confusion. Realising that she didn't follow, he nodded towards the hall. She took a nervous step inside, then followed him when he walked away.

The store looked like a nice place, with a slight hint of dry ice in the air around her. They seemed to be doing alright stock-wise; there were plenty of different comics around, even hanging from the ceiling in some places. It was a really big store; of course, it was late night, so no-one was there.

The boy turned around, the scowl never leaving his face.

'Stay here.' He ordered as he marched through a door. Blanche raised her eyebrows when he was out of sight.

'How rude can you get?' She muttered to herself.

Blanche heard him walk up some stairs and slam a door before talking with someone else; sometimes she heard a normal voice, sometimes a whispered hiss and once a brief shout.

She turned to look around some more, and jumped, squeaking slightly.

A couple sat behind the counter; completely motionless and either stoned or asleep. The woman was hugging one of her knees, while the man sat with his arms crossed. Both had very long hair and dressed in clothes that looked like they were trapped in the 60s.

Someone cleared their throat behind Blanche. It was only the boy from before, the everlasting scowl not shifting.

'My brother wants to meet you.' He said. 'Follow me.'

She followed him up a steep flight of steps, which came to what looked like a completely normal, albeit messy, kitchen. An oven, a fridge, a few counter tops and a dining table. He locked the door behind her.

'This must be where they stay.' She thought. 'So, were those people their parents?'

Another boy, who must have been his older brother, sat at the table, facing them like the don of the mafia. He had darker hair than his brother, but his eyes were the same near-black colour. They met her own green ones with a subjective stare. He nodded a greeting, and motioned for her to sit down without a word. His younger brother leaned against one of the counter tops, his arms crossed. She sat down uneasily, hoping she could hide the feeling of shyness that was coming over her. The fact that the boy had locked the door hadn't helped; now if it turned out they were really creepy, she would be trapped. She just hoped that they weren't perverts.

The older brother cleared his throat. 'So, you were chased by a vampire, huh?'

Blanche nodded. As she spoke, the older boy raised his eyebrows at his brother, signaling something.

'Uh huh. At least, I think so. I saw a group of them attacking another gang.'

The boy at the counter fetched a clear plastic bottle from the fridge and poured some water into a glass behind Blanche.

'Any of them get up?'

'No. It was a total bloodbath. And the bodies were burned.'

Blanche saw the boy place the glass in front of her, looking pointedly at his brother.

'You must be thirsty,' The boy at the table said with a smirk. 'Take a drink.'

Blanche's heart started to pound. She was locked in a kitchen with two strange boys and they were giving her drinks. How did she know she could trust them? For all she knew, the drink could be spiked with something. She grasped the glass, shakily lifting it to her mouth. The water - if it was water - didn't smell funny. When she opened her mouth, it didn't taste funny. Then again, she was sure there were probably some poisons or drugs that were tasteless...

**Author Note**

Hiya everyone! Welcome to New Girl Redux. I was reading through some of my fanfics a while back and decided to update them. The plot's a little squiffy, to say the least, and I figured I could do a helluva lot better than that! So, here we are. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter (I think I made the guys a little too creepy). Everyone who reviews gets an ehug!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Note**

Hello again! Just delivering ehugs to Shannon aka MadHatter2708 (I LOVE your username!) and SunlitMercy for reviewing! I'm glad you liked the last chapter.

This is the final part of NG:R, but I'm working on editing my other fics, so look out for those in the hopefully near future! Again, ehugs for reviews!

**Chapter Start**

Blanche decided to take a chance now and move on from there. She was really thirsty, and the boys did not seem that creepy. They smirked at her when she downed the entire glass after one tentative sip. When she noticed this, dread began to creep through her body.

'What did I just drink?' She asked, her voice shaking.

'Just holy water,' the boy at the table said. 'Don't worry, we're not gonna hurt you. You're clean.'

His brother scoffed. Blanche shot a glare at him, which he returned along with his trademark scowl.

'So, what's your name?'

Despite not wanting to lose the apparent staring competition with the younger brother, Blanche looked away from him to answer the question.

'Blanche Summers. You?'

The older brother looked her in the eyes again. 'Alan Frog. This,' - here he motioned behind him with a nod - ' is my brother Edgar.'

Edgar merely scowled as per usual, grunting in place of a 'hello, nice to meet you'. She rolled her eyes in response.

...

Some time later, Alan showed her to the spare room, handing her a towel and a borrowed set of pjs.

'Have a bath and get some sleep.' He said. 'You look like you need it.'

It was bliss getting clean after what seemed like an eternity of travelling. She had gradually become used to greasy hair, but it was nice not to smell for once. In retrospect, Blanche was surprised that Edgar had even let her inside the building. After a nice, warm bath, Blanche looked - and felt - a lot happier. And she was - cosy, lying in a comfortable bed, four walls surrounding her. She'd forgotten how soft the pj's were compared to her normal, grungy clothes. She was over the uneasy feeling from earlier. Now she had a strange but comfortable feeling about this place.

It was awesome. Like home. A _real_ home. Something she'd never had.

Blanche's eyelashes began to flutter after a while. She'd had a busy day with far too much excitement, and it was nice to finally have a bed. Lying under the warm sheets she drifted off into a heavy, dreamless sleep.

...

When Blanche woke up, she was startled. She had no clue where she was. Then it came back to her, everything from the night before; the vampires; the Frog brothers; that safe, warm feeling she had felt. She yawned and stretched before manoeuvring herself off of the bed and getting dressed.

When she left her room and got to the kitchen, the Frog brothers were nowhere to be seen.

'Must be downstairs.' She whispered to herself.

She trudged downstairs into the store, more confident now. Sure enough, there were the boys standing at the counter. She walked over to them.

'Morning.' She smiled.

They turned around and nodded. She stood with them, chatting happily, before Alan asked the big question.

'So, where you gonna go now?'

'Oh, I guess I'll just...' She faltered. 'Drift until I find somewhere to stay.'

'You could always stay here.'

'Oh, no, I don't want to put you guys out or anything!'

There was a brief pause

'Are you really sure it'd be OK?' She asked, giving Edgar a look.

'Sure.' Edgar said.

'No place safer in Santa Carla.'

'What about your parents?' She said quietly, looking down.

Edgar shrugged. 'They won't care. If they notice.'

His voice was softer, less faux-macho than before. Blanche looked down, considering her options.

'I could leave and probably get beaten up, mugged, raped, god knows.' She thought. 'Or I could stay here and have a nice cosy bed and a couple of friends. Heck, we'd be a family. That's something we all need right now.'

She smiled. 'Ok, guys. I'll stay.'

So, from then on, Blanche stayed with the Frog brothers. As time went by, Blanche learned everything about vampires she could - she knew a little from films, but whatever the boys could teach her, she committed to memory. Life went on as normal - well, as normal as it could get, living with two 'expert' vampire hunters. She had learned something in the short time that she had been traveling - **never** call yourself an expert until you have dealt with at least three of the things your chosen profession calls for. Thus, the boys weren't expert vampire hunters in her eyes - yet. They hadn't killed three vampires or even seen _one_; but Blanche could see potential in them.


End file.
